During their professional careers, the world’s highest-paid athletes can earn hundreds of millions of dollars through massive contracts and eye-watering endorsement deals. Yet, only a select few have made it into the exclusive club of those whose lifetime earnings have surpassed the $1 billion mark.
According to data presented by Betideas.com, only twelve athletes in history have become billionaires, and Michael Jordan still tops them all.
Jordan Has Earned More Than Schumacher, LeBron, and Ronaldo Combined
Considered one of the true legends of basketball and one of the greatest players of all time, Michael Jordan made 11 All-NBA teams and won five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, and six NBA titles. Although he retired more than twenty years ago, Jordan continues to top the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
According to data from Sportico, Forbes, and Sports Illustrated, Jordan’s total career earnings since his NBA debut in 1984 have reached an impressive $3 billion, which rises to $4.15 billion when adjusted for inflation. Jordan earned around $94 million in NBA salary, but the bulk of his multi-billion-dollar fortune came from endorsements, including $1.8 billion from Nike alone, as well as profitable post-retirement ventures such as team ownership, investments, and business deals.
His lifetime earnings are even more impressive when compared to those of other athlete billionaires, and only 11 others have ever achieved that status in sports history. Here’s a striking comparison: Jordan alone has made more money in his lifetime than three global icons, Michael Schumacher, LeBron James, and Cristiano Ronaldo, combined.
During his iconic career, Michael Schumacher, the first athlete ever to reach $1 billion in earnings, made a whopping $1.36 billion through salaries and endorsements. At his peak, his annual wage reached $38 million per season, while some of his biggest endorsement deals included Mercedes-Benz and Rolex, which paid him $10 million each annually. LeBron James, the first active NBA player to achieve billionaire status, has earned over $1.5 billion throughout his career, similar to the football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Shockingly, the only athlete who comes close to Michael Jordan’s lifetime earnings is Ion Țiriac, a Romanian entrepreneur and former athlete who won the 1970 French Open doubles title in tennis and represented Romania in ice hockey at the 1964 Winter Olympics. After retiring in 1979, he built a huge business empire in banking, insurance, car dealerships, real estate, and aviation, reaching a net worth of over $2 billion, still only half of Jordan’s.
Basketball Leads in Creating Athlete Billionaires
Besides these five sports stars, another seven have joined the elite billionaire’s club: golfers Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus; basketball legends Magic Johnson and Junior Bridgeman; tennis superstar Roger Federer; and Anna Kasprzak, a Danish Olympic dressage rider and heir to the ECCO shoe fortune. Altogether, these twelve athletes have earned a staggering $20.4 billion throughout their careers.
Broken down by sport, basketball leads in creating athlete billionaires, with four names on the list. Golf ranks second with three billionaires, followed by tennis with two, while Formula One, football, and equestrian sports each have one.